A2 MEDIA BLOG
Coming of Age as a Genre
Coming of Age is a sub-genre of drama that focuses on the growth of a protagonist from youth to adulthood (hence Coming of Age). Coming of Age stories usually emphasize dialogue or internal monologue over action and are often set in the past. The typical subject of Coming of Age stories are teenagers.
Coming of Age films are usually produced with the intention of appealing to a teenage audience. Usually this is accomplished due to the fact that the audience can relate to the character. A typical Coming of Age plotline features a teenager who from the outset is seen to be immature / rebellious or unappreciative, but as the story progresses situations arise (e.g. family conflict, loss of job etc.) which causes the teenager to develop throughout the story until ultimately ending up more mature and respectful.
Our group has decided to produce a short film that is focused on comedy and drama, with elements of coming of age within the film.
To look deeper into the genre, I did some research into both contemporary and more traditional well known comedy-drama films. This allowed me to identify any codes and conventions that are mutual among comedy drama films, and to explore any features that could inspire our own film.
Inspired by a true story, a comedy centered on a 27-year-old guy who learns of his cancer diagnosis, and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease.
'After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own.'
'Five high school students, all different stereotypes, meet in detention, where they pour their hearts out to each other, and discover how they have a lot more in common than they thought.'
The film features ideas of cultural values amongst teenagers; with themes of growing up, family and idealism. This could be seen as convention as many comedy drama's address cultural values or beliefs often to give a social message or explore human emotion. The film reveals each character's struggle as a teenager and addresses ideas of teenage angst and confusion at growing up. This could also be seen as convention of coming of age dramas in particular. The film portrays stereotypes in each character and the subsequent breaking or reversal of the stereotypes is often typical of this genre.
This can be seen as perpetuating conventions of comedy-drama films in that it addresses a hard hitting issue and also portrays a sense of realism through the plot line and characters.
A clinically depressed teenager gets a new start after he checks himself into an adult psychiatric ward.